This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Tesla Inc (TSLA, Financials) did not log any autonomous test-driving miles in California in 2025, marking the sixth straight year without reported activity in the state, according to Department of Motor Vehicles records cited by Reuters.
The corporation has indicated several times that it is close to starting a driverless robotaxi service in California, but it needs permission from the government first. A DMV spokeswoman, on the other hand, noted that Tesla has not applied for any further permits save the entry-level license, which only lets them test with a human safety driver.
According to new state guidelines, firms must drive at least 50,000 miles on their own with a safety driver before they can ask to test without one. Since 2016, Tesla has only reported 562 kilometers in California, and none since 2019.
In contrast, Alphabet Inc.’s Waymo clocked almost 13 million miles before getting permission to run commercial autonomous services.
California is very important to Tesla’s robotaxi plans, which are a big part of the company’s market value. In the next several months, investors will probably keep an eye on whether the corporation starts keeping track of test miles or asks for more permissions.
